Platform bracket for ladders



, 7 Jan. 11, 1938. 5. J. HARDING PLATFORM BRACKET FOR LADDERS Filed April 2, 1937 Inventof; .Jimon rlHardin Atty.

Patented Jan. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES-PATENT OFFICE 2,104,981 rmrroam BRACKET roa mourns I Simon Jaflardingjwest Baldwin, Maine Application Apr-,2, 1937, Serial No. 134,583

1 Claim.

My invention relates to attachments for ladders, dealing more particularly with a platform bracket which may be quickly attached to and detached from one of its rungs, together with 5 means-for adjusting the parts to accommodate the platform to difierent degrees of slant of the ladder, so that the platform may lie in a substantially horizontal position.

' The adjusting feature aso comes into play in mounting the device upon ladders having a different center to center distance between the rungs.

The prime object I have sought in my present invention is to provide an attachable platform which is simple, and safe when one is standing thereon, and which'will require no bolts or other paraphernalia to secure it to the ladder, making it proof against accidental displacement therefrom. w

I have disclosed in the accompanying drawing a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawing, in which like reference characters are employed to identify like parts in the various figures thereof,

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective showing the device mounted on an inclined ladder;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. -3 shows a flat-wise view of the adjusting structure; 4

Fig. 4 is aperspective view.of the hook, drawn to an enlarged scale, and

Figs. 5, 6 and '7 show the different steps taken to attach the device to a rung of the ladder.

Referring to the drawing, L is a ladder ofthe conventional type, and R the rungs thereof, In Fig. 1 the ladder is represented as inclined against some object, as for instance a building.

Mounted on but not fixedly secured to one of the rungs is a platfornrl having on its under side a plurality of cleats 2 which loosely engage the rung on .two of its sides. This prevents horizontal displacement of the platform from the ladder.

Secured on the opposite end of the platform is a combination butt and strap hinge 3, the strap portion 30 being free to swing. Fastened to the portion 3a by any suitable means, as for. instance, by the screws 4 and thumb-nuts 5 is a hanger 6, slots I in the part 3a providing for longitudinal adjustability between the parts.

The hanger 6 has on its upper end a hook 6a which when the device is in position on a ladder partiallyencloses one of the rungs R.

The hook 6a is specially contoured, as clearly 55 shown in Figs. 2 and 51. The upper end, at 6b,

is of arcuate form and quite closely fits the rung for a portion of its periphery. From the portion 6b the hook merges into a reversely curved end portion 6c, the extreme end on the inside of the hook being rounded. 5

The back side of the hook is somewhat flattened and this portion merges into another arcuate part 6d, similar to but disposed in reversed position to the top portion 617.

I Extending from the downwardly curved part 1Q 6d the hook takes a short reverse curve and unites with the main portion of the hanger 6. It will be observed, therefore, that the hook has a top and bottom, inside contour fitting the rung.

The two arcuate portions or pockets at 6b and 15 6d are relatively spaced 2. distance sufiicient to enable the rung R to pass freely between the portions 6c and 6e, incident to installing the device on a ladder, or detaching it therefrom.

On the hanger 6 is secured, by rivets 8, a flat 2O spring 9, the upper end portion of which, 9a, extends above the hook a distance approximating the diameter of the rung.

By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the upper one, of the two rungs shown, seats in the arcuate pocket 6b of the hook. With the hanger under tension, this partial enclosure of the rung by the hook greatly assists in preventing displacement of the hook from off therung should the person standingon the platform accidentally of the hook to become detached from the rung,

at least under any ordinary circumstances.

Although it is possible that the particular contour of the inside of the hook 6 might ordinarily serve as the hook-locking means to retain it on the rung, I have elected, in order to provide against any eventuality, to add structure which absolutely insures retention of the hook in its grasp of the rung, this structure being the spring 9 just previously referred to. 1'

Attention is now directed to Figs. 5, 6 and'7, depicted in more or less diagrammatical form and ,illustrating the steps to be taken in mounting the I device on a ladder.

First, the upper end of the hook is swung unfront side of it, as shown in Fig. 5.

Next a pressure is applied to the hanger i in the direction indicated by the arrow A, bending the spring into the 'shape as shown in Fig. 6. suillcient to'allow the rung to pass down through the space between the spring and the end of hook portion 60.

Then the hanger structure is raised bodily as indicated by the arrow B, Fig. 6, until the runs comes abreast of the open side of the hook, when,

by releasing the grasp of the hanger the runs.

through the agency of the recoil of the spring;

arrow C, automatically forces the 'hook over the rung and leaves the spring closing the open side, as shown in Fig. 4.

In detaching the hook from the rung the same procedure is followed, only in converse order.

In Fig. 4it will be noticed that the under side of the reversely curved portion fie, at its extreme end, is rounded. This is to facilitate withdrawal of the hook from off the rung and avoid friction which would otherwise be'present if this extreme end were made square.

My platform bracket eliminates many small parts usually found in devices for the same pur- V pose. It can be mounted and demounted on and off the ladder in muchless time than it takes to do the same thing with the conventional type of bracket. Its simplicity enables-it to be con- 8,10%? der the rung, with the spring I abutting on'the' structed much more cheaply as itembodies but few parts, whereas the usual type consists of many small pieces. When not in service it may be folded into a very 'compact form. WhatI claim is:

- a device of the class described, adapted tospring normally closing the open side of said double-hook portion and extending for a predetermined distance above the top thereof, and means on said double-hook portion, includin two oppositely disposed concave rung-seatingpockets adapted to ofier resistance to transverse displacement of said hook member from off its supporting rung, regardless of whether the hook attaching ended? the platform is disposed in its normal position or raised by reason of pressure applied to its forward end, said means being in addition to the said flat spring which yields to permit entrance of the rung into the hook space and thereafter yieldingly acts to prevent its accidental displacement therefrom.

.SIMON J. HARDING. 

